Community View: Programs vital for retirees

10:53 PM,
Dec. 2, 2012

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill after Thursday's private talks with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the 'fiscal cliff' negotiations. Boehner said no substantive progress had been made between the White House and the House. He reiterated that view Friday, saying talks had reached a stalemate. Among the stumbling blocks: what to do about entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare. If no agreement can be reached, most Americans will pay higher taxes come January; at the same time, massive budget cuts will automatically take effect.

Written by

Marilyn Pinsky

The way some people talk in Washington you could get the idea that Social Security and Medicare are little more than numbers in a budget.

Yet for families in New York and all over America, Social Security and Medicare have a deeper meaning: They are the very foundation of security in retirement.

Social Security and Medicare enable millions of older Americans to survive financially each month, after years of working hard and paying taxes to earn these protections. One day, younger people will count on these same pillars of security for their own independence and dignity in old age. ...